Page 18 of Cruelest Contract (Storm’s Eye Ranch)

JULIAN

O ur private helicopter is one of my father’s favorite toys. He was annoyed by my demand to move it off the property before Cecilia’s arrival.

The Grimaldi wedding is ancient history to us. But to Cecilia, the murder of her parents must be a constant daily agony. If anyone should understand how she feels, it’s us.

And our goal is to test this girl, not terrorize her. She won’t want to see a helicopter and be reminded of the ones that cut down her parents.

In a rare moment of submission, my father agreed. The chopper is now being stored in a Laramie hangar until further notice.

Right now a pair of men wander into view after their smoking break. They wear dark clothes with chunky rings on their beefy fingers and don’t bother to conceal their holstered weapons. Both are regular soldiers, reliable guys.

They also might as well be walking around beneath cartoon bubbles that say, ‘Mafia THUG’.

From my vantage point in the shadow of the barn, I watch them from a distance as they joke around, no doubt exchanging filthy banter.

Their attitude falls away in a flash when my father strolls through the front door.

He tosses a travel bag at one guy and the other one scrambles to open the passenger door of the Range Rover.

Our plane, back from yesterday’s adventures, is already waiting at the airport.

Angelo Grimaldi was dropped off in Vegas last night and Vegas is a city where we have a lot of eyes.

According to my sources, that fucker is currently casino hopping and eating showgirl pussy while his sister is here singlehandedly saving the future of their sorry ass family.

None of them will get the chance to use Cecilia in this manner again.

She’s now in much better hands. Mine.

My father’s eyes are obscured by a pair of mirrored sunglasses and he stops in his tracks when he sees me.

His trip to the Cayman Islands is standard business.

Another real estate bubble appears likely and after a crash there’s plenty of territory ripe for the taking.

Carefully assembled shell companies are the best tools for maximizing profit.

He’s meeting with some partners to strategize.

I could have handled this trip. It’s exactly the sort of role I can fill with ease. Any other week, I’d be the one sent to the Caymans along with one or two of my brothers.

My father dislikes leaving the ranch. More and more, he prefers to remain at home, usually in his study. My brothers and I don’t discuss the murmured one-sided conversations we overhear coming from that room.

We don’t talk about the music either.

Our father’s grief is so ordinary to us that there’s no need to mention it. He never remarried. He never will. Other women are of absolutely no interest. I doubt he’s touched a woman in over two decades or intends to change this.

For him, there’s only Teresa. Then. Now. Forever.

The sunglasses don’t shield my father’s penetrating stare. I nod my head to acknowledge that the current mission will be finalized before he returns. I have complete faith that I’m right.

Cecilia has earned a perfect score so far. True, something might happen to derail the whole deal but I think not. She’s sexy, she’s smart and she’s sensible. One day I’ll be leading this family and Cecilia is exactly the kind of woman I want at my side.

The two of us obviously have chemistry. Cecilia’s attempts to hide her interest are valiant but futile. I can tell when I have a strong effect on a woman. She blushes and fights her own urge to stare every single time I get close.

If all I wanted out of Cecilia was a fuck then I could score a victory at any time. Since I want far more than sex, I’ll need to be patient.

My father ducks into the vehicle. The door shuts and two seconds later the tires start crunching. The driver speeds down the lane, kicking up a cloud of dust. A second vehicle follows.

Meanwhile, some jackass who believes he’s sly has left the barn and crept up behind my back.

“Don’t try it, Gaetano,” I warn without turning around. “I’m not in the fucking mood.”

My younger brother has the laugh of a maniacal cartoon villain. It’s not even something he works at. It comes naturally.

“Just helping you stay alert.” He knocks into me, trying to shove me aside.

I stand my ground and ignore him.

Getty crosses his arms and watches our father’s entourage disappear. “Looks like I’m in charge now.” He puffs up his chest. “Let’s throw a party.”

“And who would your antisocial ass invite?”

He spits into the dirt and pretends to give the question some thought. “For starters, I’ll add my new girlfriend to the guest list.”

The sound of voices drifts from the other side of the barn door. A woman’s laugh punctures the deep male rumbling. Cecilia is the only woman in there. I don’t recognize her laugh because this is the first time I’m hearing it.

“ Your girlfriend,” I scoff with a head shake.

“Yup.” He flashes the cheesiest of cheesy grins. “She was promised a choice, wasn’t she? And I’m starting to think we were meant to be, me and Cecilia. Even her cat loves me.”

“Is that why she recoiled with disgust when you bumped into her this morning?”

“Such a fine line between love and hate. You look worried, Jul. Afraid I’ll take her from you?”

I seize a handful of his shirt and smash him against the barn wall. The raw snarl from my throat could have come from a tiger. “Afraid I’ll knock your teeth out of your head?”

He’s not scared. But surprise makes his eyebrows shoot up. Any pack of brothers close in age will be used to regular brawls. And we’re a whole lot more savage than ordinary brothers. This harsh reaction would be totally routine coming from Tye. Or from Getty himself. But I’m not so easily provoked.

Well, usually I’m not so easily provoked.

Getty’s shock turns to glee and he shoves me back with more of his cackling laughter.

“Pussy whipped before you’ve tasted the pussy.

That’s got to be some kind of record. Didn’t I warn you to get some exercise?

You’re so tightly wound up you’re about to fucking erupt.

No wonder you’re ready to stick your forsaken cock into the first pretty hole you find. ”

I scowl and shove him again. “You really don’t know when to shut the fuck up.”

“Hey, I’m trying to help you.” He fixes his shirt, which is now in rumpled disarray.

“Help someone else. My cock never has trouble finding female company and you know it.”

He looks up and grins at something behind me. “Hi, Cecilia. How’d you like the barn?”

I will wring his fucking neck.

I turn around slowly, expecting to be confronted with a stunned Cecilia, who just heard me bragging about my conquests like I’m some shit-for-brains player.

All because Gaetano Tempesta is an incurable asshole who enjoys wreaking havoc.

However, there’s no one there. He lied.

I’m still tempted to put my brother in a headlock until his face turns purple. But I’m also relieved. And I won’t repeat this mistake of getting riled up over nothing. Cecilia isn’t the kind of girl who will be impressed with macho tantrums.

Getty is so busy howling with loony laughter that it’s pathetically easy to sweep his legs from under him.

He lands with a thud and throws a handful of dirt at me, his furious expression no different than it was at age three after he was informed he couldn’t eat a jar of marshmallow fluff for dinner.

Fucking brothers.

No matter how much you love them, there are always times when you’re tempted to throttle them with your bare hands.

Gaetano gets left on the ground to stew over his bad choices and I walk around to the front of the vast building we call the big barn.

It’s where the sick and injured animals are kept, as well as the orphaned calves, until they can join the rest of the herd.

At the moment we have a pair of twin calves in there so Cecilia gets to see the cute side of ranch life.

The barn’s wide door is propped open and Miguel is heading this way, slowly walking beside Cecilia and chatting in his usual lively manner.

On any typical day our ranch foreman has his hands full and I hated pulling him away from his work but there’s no one better suited to give Cecilia a tour.

Miguel has the uncanny ability to set all animals at ease, whether they’re walking around on four legs or two.

Cecilia wears a thoughtful expression and checks out the sights with curiosity.

She did very well earlier. That scene in the study was necessary and it was also heavy.

Emotional. Her chin trembled as she gazed at the portrait of the woman who remains the center of our family more than two decades after her death.

Cecilia showed nothing but respect and I could tell my father was pleased.

It’s nice to see that she’s now loosened up a little. A few strands of hair have escaped from her ponytail and she looks comfortable in her new boots. All the wary tension is gone from her posture and she moves with easy grace.

Miguel stops at a stall and calls her over. Cecilia peers into the stall, listening avidly and nodding as Miguel talks an animated blue streak.

I was right to conclude how easily she’d be seduced by it all. The ranch, the country landscape, the small town a short drive away.

She belongs here with us. She’ll want to stay.

Miguel takes note of my presence and flashes a quick grin beneath his mustache. A sign that all is well.

In the background, Fort is speaking to a couple of the wranglers and Tye is dicking around with a length of rope. He was always the least enthusiastic about ranch chores, preferring sports over cowboy shit. He only changed his tune after his hockey career ended.

Cecilia walks this way and gets within six feet before she notices I’m standing here. Her eyes spark before she has a chance to check her reaction.

Then she gives me a shy smile that makes my cock twitch. I wish we could skip a few steps and tumble into the nearest bed.